A demonstration Plug&Charge electric vehicle charging station established at the Electric Power Research Institute. (Photo by Korea Electric Power Corporation)
[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] It is not easy to confidently assert that the automatic electric vehicle charging authentication and payment system developed by Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) will be commercialized in the market next year.
KEPCO announced on the 7th that it has developed 'Plug and Charge (PnC)' charging technology. When an electric vehicle is connected to a charger, it uses the vehicle information and payment information stored in the vehicle to charge without separate user verification and payment steps.
KEPCO expects electric vehicle manufacturers to expand the release of electric vehicles equipped with this technology starting next year. Accordingly, it is anticipated that users will be able to actively use the service from next year.
To promote service activation, KEPCO has also planned to provide a security communication infrastructure (PKI·Public Key Infrastructure) that issues electronic certificates to electric vehicles and others to private charging operators or electric vehicle manufacturers. The PKI system is scheduled to be established within this year.
KEPCO believes that by providing PKI to manufacturers and charging operators, it will be possible to implement power grid connection (V2G) and other functions at a low cost.
The problem is that KEPCO has not yet established a concrete commercialization roadmap regarding how many manufacturers and charging stations it will contract with.
According to KEPCO, among manufacturers, it is cooperating technically with Hyundai Motor Company based on the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 15118. PKI is necessary to implement PnC as well as V2G.
Other manufacturers besides Hyundai have not presented specific roadmaps. In the case of charging operators, technical guidance has been provided to 12 domestic companies.
A KEPCO official explained, "The ISO-related technology development project with Hyundai Motor Company ended last month," adding, "We are working together to implement the function in commercial vehicles, and the function must also be reflected in chargers and vehicles."
Professor Lee Hogun of Daeduk College's Department of Automotive Engineering said, "To activate PnC technology, cooperation with not only charging operators but also manufacturers is necessary, but each manufacturer has different application standards," and added, "Each company will autonomously develop standards, so there is no guarantee that manufacturers will necessarily use the technology developed by KEPCO."
Hyundai Motor Company stated that if the development of PnC can induce consumers to purchase electric vehicles, it would be a 'win-win' for both KEPCO and Hyundai. However, they emphasize that not only charging technology should be improved but also electric vehicle infrastructure technology must be established.
A Hyundai Motor Company representative said, "The compatibility conditions for charger types suitable for applying KEPCO's PnC differ by manufacturer," and added, "There is still a procedure to verify the feasibility and consistency of the PnC technology business among Hyundai, KEPCO, and private companies."
He said, "Further development work is needed, and when the time comes for mass production of PnC technology, it is still unknown how and to what extent the technology will be applied," adding, "Since it is a complex and difficult technology to implement that requires displaying payment information and establishing communication connections, it is hard to confidently assert commercialization next year at this time."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
